About Turn: The Transformation of the South African Military and Intelligence

The transformation of the South African military is an intriguing process.

The transformation of the South African military is an intriguing process. As sworn enemies, the South African Defence Force (SADF), long perceived as the embodiment of white racial oppression, together with its sometime offspring, the armed forces of Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda, initially locked horns in an armed struggle against their 'opponents', Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA). But this was less of a war, than conflict by proxy. In the years preceding the April 1994 elections, both major protagonists, the SADF and MK, were overtaken by the rising tide of resistance which emgulfed South Africa during the eighties the dramatic changes in the geo-strategic situation of the apartheid state following the coup in Portugal in 1973 and the decolinisation of Mozambique, Angola, the former Rhodesia and eventually Namibia. Although South Africa did not experience the armed conflict which characterised the decolonisation of most other African countries, the agreement between the armed forces in the final months prior to the April 1994 elections, proved crucial to the success of the South African transition.

Please note the pdf for download is a scan of this book, please contact [email protected] should you have any difficulty reading the pdf or if you have a better electronic copy for us to use.